In the Forward’s opinion section, you’ll find analysis and essays from diverse corners of the Jewish world.
To pitch an opinion piece, email our Opinion Editor, Talya Zax.
Opinion
-
Opinion
Both the Right and Left Get the Muslim Ban Wrong
Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily barring nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entry to the United States has sparked a new round of furious — and fruitless — debate about Islam, terrorism, and Islamophobia. One side all but dismisses militant Islamism as a phantom menace, touting statistics to show that lawnmowers and armed toddlers…
-
Opinion A Leaked Copy of Trump’s Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast
The following is purportedly a leaked transcript of President Trump’s speech from the National Prayer Breakfast. Welcome everyone. It’s prayer time, so we’re going to have our little breakfast — we have some of the best pastries, really the best and pray. I love God — really do. Great guy, God, and a big supporter…
-
Opinion Letter to the Editor: The Notion That HIAS ‘Profits’ from Resettling Refugees is Ludicrous
On January 31, the Forward published a letter from the leadership of another Jewish organization that directly challenged the position of Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) on the Refugee and Muslim Ban, signed by President Trump on January 25, 2017, which happened to be International Holocaust Remembrance Day. During the 1930s and 1940s, there were…
Columnists View All
The Latest
-
Opinion Judge Gorsuch Will be Good on Religious Liberties — Which Will Be Good for the Jews
When it comes to issues of interest to the Jewish community, Judge Neil Gorsuch’s potential confirmation to the Supreme Court is likely to have significant impact on the landscape of religious liberty. This is an issue the Supreme Court has been making active decisions on over the past five years. In 2012, the Court addressed…
-
Opinion Stand Up for Truth
Dear Forward Reader: ‘Oh God, not the Jews again.” That was Ann Coulter, answering a BBC journalist’s question about whether her anti-immigrant stance might have harmed newcomers a century ago. We say: Yes, the Jews again. Our history, our tradition, and our values are deeply relevant to today’s news. At the Forward, we’re not staying…
-
Opinion How Could Modern Orthodox Judaism Produce Jared Kushner?
In our annual progression through the Torah, we are now deep into slavery in Egypt. And each year, around this time, as I read the first Torah portions in Exodus, the same thought occurs to me: Why is all this necessary? By the end of Jacob’s life, he’s back in the Land of Israel, the…
-
Opinion Letter from Ukraine: Don’t Let Refugee History Repeat Itself
The abandoned 428-year-old synagogue in Sharhorod, Ukraine stands as a powerful reminder of why millions of Jews in the world now call themselves Americans. I traveled there last week from my home in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to better understand where my family comes from. Six of my eight great-grandparents fled villages like Sharhorod – places…
-
Opinion My Late Uncle’s Memories of Germany in the 1930s Haunt Me Today
Anti-Semitism had always been a part of German culture before Hitler came to power, my great uncle Ernie Lowenstein told me. But the difference was noticeable as soon as he became chancellor. You could tell right away, he recalled. I was visiting Ernie in a retirement facility in Evansville, Indiana in the summer of 1992….
-
Opinion Three Practical Ways to Preserve Our Freedoms in the Trump Era
With the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States on November 8, 2016, our country experienced a political earthquake. It put all Americans on notice that the four years of the Trump presidency will present a challenge to maintain the foundations of our country: free-speech, free press, freedom of religion, peaceful…
-
Opinion Kippahed While Black: The Troubling Resurgence of ‘Shvartze’ and ‘Kushi’
In the past few years, the words “kushi” and “shvartze” have enjoyed, let’s say, an unfortunate comeback. A few years ago, a prominent rabbinic scholar came under fire for suggesting that Jews should not commit crimes such as molestation — not necessarily because they were wrong, but because they would be put in jail with…
-
Letters Letter to the Editor: Preventing Radical Islamists From Murdering Americans Is a Moral Act
The left’s confusion about what constitutes “morality” compels us to respond to Forward editor Jane Eisner’s criticism of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) because ZOA supports President Trump’s executive order titled “Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States.” Most Americans, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, agree with ZOA: Americans…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News When observant Jews gathered to challenge Israel orthodoxy, verbal sparring and walkouts ensued
- 2
Opinion Trump has forced an impossible choice on American synagogues amid antisemitic attacks
- 3
Fast Forward Suspect in Michigan synagogue attack dead after ramming car into temple, police say
- 4
Opinion The one crucial domain in which Iran outwitted Israel
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Illinois primary pits Jewish candidate with deep Israel ties against AIPAC spending
-
Fast Forward Democratic voter support for Israel plummets to historic low
-
Opinion As Temple Israel, both security training and sacred relationships prepared us for the worst
-
Yiddish World Forverts podcast: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
